Bydalek said it usually takes about three weeks to prepare a ballot for print. The printing companies then need time to print the ballots.

Michael Dorausch
/ Flickr, http://j.mp/1SPGCl0

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7:48

Our conversation with Sarah Bydalek

Election day is drawing near. It’s less than 90 days away.

And still the battle continues over straight-ticket voting - that's where you can check off just one box at the top of the ballot to vote for every candidate in the party of your choice.

State Attorney General Bill Schuette has filed an emergency motion with a federal appeals court. He’s asking the appeals court to overrule lower court rulings that blocked the new GOP-led law that eliminates straight-ticket voting in Michigan.

As the legal sparring continues, municipal clerks and other election officials are caught in the crossfire.

They’re the ones responsible for having ballots ready for voters well before Election Day, and this fighting over straight-ticket voting is shaping up to be a logistical nightmare.

Sarah Bydalek is one of those clerks. She joined Stateside to explain how this battle affects ballot-makers across the state.

“To say the least, we’re very nervous that this could cause great demise in receiving our ballots in a timely manner,” Bydalek said.

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Sarah Bydalek is the Walker city clerk and president of the Michigan Association of Municipal Clerks.